How to plan for a phone interview.Today we use many forms of technology in the job searching process, one method that’s grown largely is telephone interviews. It’s been noted that recently phone interviews are being used more and more as a part of the recruitment process, sometimes as the first or second stage, with the next major stage being an in person meeting, like a trial shift or a second stage interview. As this is a fairly new format of interview for many, here’s a guide to help you get equipped and comfortable with planning for a phone interview.

Why a phone interview?

With our modern world changing daily, it’s no surprise that the interview process is changing too. People are more global then they’ve ever been and some peoples jobs take them all over the world which means they can’t do the traditional method of going to a location for an interview. The phone interview serves as a useful format of interview for those who can’t be present in person, this could be due to a variety of reasons, generally determined by the employer and candidate beforehand.  Setting up your plan.As with any interview, you’ll want to have done some planning, with a phone interview your plan is going to follow different steps to what you may usually follow. Keep in mind things like your current schedule, where you’ll be at the time of the phone interview and the quality of your voice, you may need to talk at length for some sections of your phone interview, so it’s ideal that you’ve taken into account all factors that could affect you during your interview as being comfortable is important to doing well in an interview. How to approach a phone interview.If your familiar with Zoom and Skype, then you’ve probably heard about video interviews, consider phone interviews to be the same, a long distance interview using technology. In a phone interview you will be using only your voice and knowledge of both your CV and the role you’re applying for. It’s easy to forget that it’s a job interview given how informal phone calls feel by context, but by bringing your approach you take to in person interviews to the phone you can use your skills in a phone interview instead.Always treat these as an interview and not as a phone call, it may be surprising but some candidates in the past have been out walking in the hills or at a supermarket at the set time of the phone interview, which can present many problems for sound quality and connection issues in the call. It is very important to treat these as a remote interview, that is simply happening over the phone, like when you would have to talk to any company over the phone, in a positive context, as you are trying to get to know the role further. Tips for handling a phone interview:

With this being a tricky type of interview to get down, we built a list of relevant tips to remember while in your phone interview or while in the planning phase of yourinterview.  • Minimise noise in the background, go into a room where outside sound would be dampened. • Keep your phone’s battery in a good area, above ninety percent ideally. • ask your consultant for the hiring manager so you can use Linkedin to see who is interviewing you, as you will get an insight as to what the people who work there are like and what it’s like to work there. • Good phone signal area is important for a phone call, so seek out a space you know has a good, consistent phone reception. • Using a head set or head phones if you can, it will cancel out background noise to some degree, do not use loud speaker as it creates a lot of reverb in the call. • Child care is important to consider if it applies so if the kids are around, ask someone to look after them for the time of your interview. • Go over your CV and have it in front of you during the phone interview, it will come in handy to bring up any skills or relevant experience you have for the role. • Plan for some questions you might have to answer alongside any that could come up in the kind of role you’re applying for. • Look at the website for the company, as if you would in person to get to know it, what awards it’s won, what their current projects are. Practising a phone interview

With this being such a new deal for many talented candidates, it may be worthwhile to do a practice interview. Ask for the help of a friend or family member who you know can call you, choose someone who understands the interview process and how a employer may act in an interview and have them call you with the goal of interviewing you. You can then ask for notes after the false interview, ask for information like how clear you sounded, were there any connection issues or gaps in your speech? These questions will help you gain a better understanding of what to expect from a phone interview.

Consider how many people may already be familiar with phone interviews and how many people aren’t yet due to a variety of factors so with that in mind, these have beenjust a few tips to help plan and prepare for a telephone interview, but always ask yourconsultant for more information as they will be able to provide you with informationspecific to that role.

HtE Recruitment Interview & Careers

This Interview & Careers  page has been written to give support and tips. HtE Recruitment take no responsibility for this post and please always ask your consultant for any bespoke advise. This page was written by Josh, our Marketing coordinator.